1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for improving fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle by learning from a route history to determine the best energy use along a route, and more particularly to a system and method of adjusting an engine start/stop threshold to avoid inefficient energy use.
2. Description of the Related Art
With global energy prices rapidly increasing, hybrid vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, have become more popular due to their improved fuel efficiency over conventional combustion engine vehicles. The hybrid control logic monitors and regulates an engine and a motor-generator to efficiently utilize power from the engine or a battery. The hybrid control logic may monitor engine output and a battery state of charge (SOC) to optimize fuel efficiency. The hybrid control logic may switch operation between a charge sustain mode, wherein the engine provides power to the wheels and can also recharge the battery as needed, or a charge deplete mode, wherein the battery provides power to the wheels. The hybrid control logic achieves improved fuel efficiency over conventional vehicles by determining when to use power from the engine or from the battery.
However, the hybrid control logic may not utilize all available data from sensors on the hybrid vehicle. For example, hybrid vehicles may have a GPS module. The hybrid control logic does not use location information from the GPS module to further maximize fuel efficiency. The hybrid control logic also does not consider historical data to maximize fuel efficiency.
Thus, there is a need for a system and method directed to learning a route history to improve fuel efficiency.